


The Summer of 73

by julliangray



Category: The A-Team (TV)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Language, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Male Slash, Mental Instability, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25193191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julliangray/pseuds/julliangray
Summary: A few days in the life of Hannibal and Face in the summer of 73.
Relationships: Templeton "Faceman" Peck/John "Hannibal" Smith
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	The Summer of 73

Hannibal quickly reached out to turn off the buzzing alarm before it woke the young man curled into the side of him. Looking down, he smiled when he noticed that the blonde hadn't moved a muscle during the entire night, a very present change from how their nights were usually spent. As the Colonel continued to look at his sleeping Lieutenant, he still had a hard time believing how lucky he was, not only to have the younger man as his lover but to have him at all.

It had only been six short months ago that they had been locked up in Fort Bragg, a time that Hannibal wasn't entirely sure Face would survive. Their time in prison had not been easy on any of them, but it had been terrifying for Face.

As soon as they came into the prison, they were separated, each one kept in a different cellblock. Hannibal and BA quickly put the word out that no one was to lay a hand on their Lieutenant and that anyone who took any liberty with the blonde would have to deal with them. And while they were sure that most of the inmates would abide by their word to leave Face alone, Hannibal knew that would not stop the guards.

A week into their captivity, Hannibal received word that Face had attacked a guard and was thrown into solitary confinement. Though word through the prison grapevine had it that the guard had tried to rape Face and the young man had shown the bastard just what he was made of. 

During Face's two-week-long stay in isolation, Hannibal had managed to get in to see the warden. After a lot of talking and promises that he could control, both Peck and Baracus, Hannibal managed to get BA next to him and Face put into his cell.

When they finally brought Face to his cell after his two-week confinement, Hannibal had almost wept with anger. The young man's face was nearly unrecognizable due to the heavy bruising, swelling, and abrasions. As Hannibal made a thorough examination of his young lover, he was horrified to find that there wasn't a single spot on the blonde that didn't contain some type of mark. But the thing that upset him the most was how Face would cower from him whenever he tried to touch him.

Late that night, when Face woke screaming, Hannibal decided to hell with the consequences. He climbed onto the bunk with his lover and held Face close while the young man cried out his pain. Hannibal spent the rest of that night planning their escape, determined to get them out before anything else bad befell the man he loved.  
Now looking down at the man in his arms, Hannibal thought again how lucky he was to have Face still. There had been several more close calls with both guards and inmates trying to take their Lieutenant from them. But Hannibal and BA had managed to fight them off and still keep themselves from being taken to solitary. Hannibal knew that Face's biggest fear was to be abandoned, and even though it wouldn't have been their fault if they were thrown into solitary, he didn't think Face would understand that in his current state of mind.

"You are way too young to be anywhere near that hellhole." Hannibal leaned over to place a gentle kiss on Face's forehead. As he gazed at the young man, he wondered for perhaps the thousandth time if Face was even twenty years old. Looking at the thin frame and smooth chest, he shook his head.

'Barely nineteen, tops,' he sighed.

Reaching down, Hannibal carefully took Face's wrists in one hand before moving to brush the stray hairs from his lover's forehead.

Instantly Face's eyes popped open, and the fear Hannibal saw in them made his heartache.

"Easy Tem, it's just me." He whispered as he reassured Face.

"Hannibal?" Face's voice wavered as he fought to focus his eyes.

"That's right, kid." Hannibal brushed some more of the fallen hair back. "Just me."

"What's wrong?" Face tried to sit up, but Hannibal easily forced him back down.

"Nothing's wrong," Hannibal laid another kiss on his lover's forehead. "I just need to get up so I can get ready to go to the studio." Leaning forward, Hannibal kissed Face on the lips. "And I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving." Seeing the relief in the younger man's blue-green eyes, Hannibal smiled. "I don't know when I'll be home, so don't wait up for me."

"But, you will be home tonight?"

The emotion in those six words pulled at Hannibal's heart so hard that it hurt.

"Yeah, kid, I'll be home." He leaned forward and kissed Face again. "It may be late, but I promise you I'll be home."

Face nodded as he snuggled into the older man's side, Hannibal chuckled as he hugged Face tightly for a minute.

"I guess you didn't hear me, kid, I said I have to get up."

"Just stay a few more minutes, please." Face begged. "Just till I go back to sleep."

"All right, Tem," Hannibal leaned over to kiss the blonde hair.

"Thank you." Face sighed contently as he buried his head into Hannibal's shoulder.

It didn't take long before Face was back asleep, but Hannibal stayed put, he wanted to make sure that Face wouldn't wake up when he moved. Carefully he slid out of bed and got ready for "work." When he was ready to leave, he took one last look at the young man asleep in the bed, Hannibal fought down the urge to run his hands through the blonde hair. Taking a deep breath, Hannibal stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the bedroom.

Face woke a few hours later; he reached out to touch his lover, but when his hand encountered the cold sheet, he frowned and opened his eyes. As he sat up in bed, the sheet pooled around his waist as he stretched his arms above his head, the joints in his back popping. Suddenly he stopped in mid-stretch, and his frown deepened when he remembered Hannibal's earlier conversation about going to work and not coming home until late tonight.

Sighing deeply, Face decided to make the best out of the day; if nothing else, he could at least go down to the beach. Climbing out of bed, he stretched again before going to the bathroom, once he had showered, he stood in front of the mirror and considered shaving. As he ran his hand over his still smooth cheeks and chin, he shook his head and laughed. Hannibal kept telling him he was a baby-faced kid, and his own body seemed to agree with his older lover. 

"Maybe when I hit twenty." Face smiled at his reflection before leaving the bathroom.  
Going back to the bedroom, Face made up the bed and straightened the room before going into the living room. Making his way toward the kitchen, Face picked up Hannibal's socks and carried the soiled clothing to the laundry room just off the kitchen.

Face smiled when he entered the kitchen and noticed there were two pieces of bread in the toaster along with a coffee mug sitting next to the coffee maker. Knowing that the coffee maker was ready to go, Face turned it on before moving over to the toaster to press the button. A few minutes later, he was sitting at the table reading the financial section of the paper while drinking a cup of fresh coffee and eating a piece of toast.

When he was finished with breakfast, Face cleaned up the kitchen and the rest of the apartment before going back to the bedroom to change into a pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Once he checked himself out in the mirror and was satisfied with what he saw, Face grabbed his keys off the dressed and headed out of the apartment. Face didn't have any plans for the day, but he figured he'd find something to get into after all LA was a large city with lots to do. 

'Stay away from the university.' Hannibal's warning rang in his ears.

Face sighed as he turned in a different direction; it had only been a week ago when the couple had been walking across the campus they had come across a bunch of protesters. The two had kept on walking, trying their best to ignore their chanting. However, when one of the protesters started to yell that the American soldiers in Vietnam were nothing but cowards and baby killers, then set an American flag on fire, Face lost it. He went after the leader, and it was everything that Hannibal could do to pull Face off before he could tear the collage student apart and start a riot.

It had taken Hannibal hours to calm Face down and not to take what the students were saying personal; that they were uninformed and didn't know what they were talking about. Face had calmed, but it hadn't taken the sting out of the words or the pain out of his heart. Especially when he thought of his friends who had died in South East Asia, though the worst part had been that night when the nightmares came, and he remembered all the things that happen to him. Face just thanked God that Hannibal had been there to hold him that night, to chase the demons back into the shadows.

A cold chill ran down Face’s spine despite the warm sun beating down on him. No, he would do as his lover asked and stay away from the university and the students with their radical views. He had defended his country, and there was no shame in that. As Hannibal had pointed out to him, he had already done more than most people would in their entire lifetime.

Working his way down the LA streets, it wasn't long before Face found himself on the beach. He stepped off the boardwalk down into the sand and toward the surf when he was just a few feet from the water sat down in the sand. When a couple of young girls who walked by him, he flashed them a quick smile. His smile widened when they giggled and waved at him, Face blew a kiss at them and winked as they hurried towards the boardwalk. It wasn't long before the girls came back down the beach, drinking sodas and giggling as they walked toward him. He smiled again when they plopped down beside him in the sand the redhead handing him an extra drink she had been hiding behind her back.

An hour later, Face waved good-bye to them as he headed off the beach, their phone numbers stuffed in his pocket. He made his way down to the boardwalk and past several shops until he came to a pool hall. Putting on his best college boy innocent face, he went inside and played a few bad games. When the two amateur hustlers tried to hustle him, Face allowed them to believe they had a sucker on the line. Face won the games he was supposed to win, then he lost a few before he began to win again until he tapped the hustlers almost dry. Face could have easily won everything they had in their pockets, but he knew it would be better to let them keep some money so they could hustle the next poor sap that came through the door.

With his winnings stuffed down in his right front pocket, Face made his way to a tobacco shop a few miles from the apartment he shared with Hannibal. He went inside and inhaled the exotic smells of all the different tobaccos, everything from pipe to cigar.

"Hey, Paul, how are you doing?" Face asked as he sat down on one of the stools beside the display case as he watched the old white-haired man approach him

"Templeton, where have you been?"Paul made his way over to the younger man and sat down on the other side of the counter across from him. "Heck boy, it's been almost two weeks since you've been here. That old man of yours isn't locking you away from the world, is he?"

"No, Paul," Face picked up a cigar from one of the many displays on the counter. "He's good to me; I couldn't ask for anyone better."

"He ever gives you any trouble you let me know, and I'll straighten him out." Paul punched the air in front of him a few times.

Face put down the cigar so he could rest his hands on the older man's arm. "I will, Paul, I promise."

***

Face loved Paul; he was like a father, aside from Father Magill; Paul was one of the few positive male role models Face had during his early childhood. Face had meet Paul Westby when he was only six years old and had gotten separated from a group of other kids on an outing to the boardwalk. To this day, Face still wasn't sure how it had happened; one minute, he was watching a seagull circled over the ocean, and the next, Face was standing on the boardwalk alone. He had tried to find the group but couldn't, as the sun started to go down, he began to get cold and scared. The shadows were growing longer and more menacing; the first tears started to roll down his cheeks when a blonde-haired man came up to him.

"Hey, little fellow, what're you crying for?"

Face knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but what was he going to do.  
"I can't find the Father."

Paul Westby thought it was a strange way to say you couldn't find your dad, but heck kids these days were different from when he grew up.

"Where was the last place you saw him?"

"I don't know?" Face looked around, "Nothing looks right."

The tears were starting to fall faster, and Westby decided he had to do something soon. In half an hour, it would be dark, and he very well couldn't leave the small boy alone.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Paul asked, but the boy only shook his head as the tears flowed faster. Squatting down, Paul put his finger under the boy's chin and tilted his head up. 

"Well how about we do this, see that hamburger stand over there?"

The boy looked around him and nodded is head.

"Good, why don't we go over there and I'll buy us something to eat, and we can sit there and see if your Father finds you." Paul took out his handkerchief and wiped away the tears. "When we're done, if he hasn't come back, we'll go to my shop, and I'll call someone who can help, alright?"

Standing up, Paul held out his hand for the boy; at first, the blonde just looked at him, unsure.

"I'm not supposed to go with strangers." The boy's voice trembled.

"Well that's easy, my name is Paul Westby, and I own a cigar shop just a few blocks from here." Paul smiled. "Now, what is your name?"

"Alvin."

"Good now that we know each other's names; we're no longer strangers."

Alvin was pretty sure it didn't work like that, but right now, he didn't care; he honestly didn't want to be alone on the boardwalk at night.

"Come on, buddy, I'll get you anything you want to eat, my treat."

Slowly the boy put his hand in the big man's and allowed himself to be lead over to the hamburger stand.

By the time Father Maghil found him, Alvin was working on a fudge sundae, Paul had insisted on getting him for dessert.

"Alvin, thank God." Father Maghil scoped the boy up into his arms and hugged him tightly before pulling him back so he could scold him. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"

Realizing now why the boy had called the other man Father, Paul stood up and took off his hat.

"Father, I don't mean any disrespect, but the boy has been through enough."

Father Maghil turned an eye on the man and looked him over.

"And you are, sir?" 

"My name is Paul Westby; I own a shop a few blocks away; I found Alvin over there." Paul pointed to the spot he had found the boy crying earlier. "As I said, I don't mean any disrespect, but the boy was terrified."

"So, you decided to feed him out of the kindness of your heart?" Father Maghil frowned.

"No, sir, I mean yes, sir." Paul took a deep breath and started over. "Look, I figured the boy's family would come back and look for him, and the best way for someone lost to be found is to sit still and wait." When Father Maghil nodded, Paul continued. "The boy was scared, and I figured the best way to take his mind off of being lost was to feed him. Besides, the tables are right here out in the open where he can be seen.” Paul spread his hands. "I mean, you did find him didn't you?"

Father Maghil closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he said a silent prayer to God for blessing the boy with good luck for once in his young life.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Westby; it's just that I don't often see the best that people have to offer." The priest held out his hand to the other man. "Thank you for taking care of Alvin."

"You're welcome, Father." Paul looked back at the blonde-haired boy who was watching the exchange between the two of them. "Do you think he could finish his ice cream, I promised him he could have it if he ate his hamburger."

"Sure." Father Maghil nudged Alvin back towards the table; he was surprised that the other man got the boy to finish anything; the child hardly ate. "Go on, Alvin, but we need to get going when you're done."

"Thank you, sir." Alvin climbed back on his seat and dug into his ice cream while the two men sat down and talked.

From that day forward, Paul would come and visit Alvin later to be Templeton at least once a month while he was in the orphanage. Unbeknownst to little Alvin Brenner or Templeton Peck, Paul had tried to adopt him on several different occasions, but the church would not bend its policies on a single-parent family. So Paul sat back and watched the boy grow into a teen. His heart nearly broke when Templeton told him he had dropped out of college to joined the Army and would be shipping off to Vietnam.

***  
"Earth to Templeton." Paul waved his hands in front of the young man.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some things I needed to do later."

"Uh-huh." Paul smiled. "So how many of those nonexistent Cubans do you need today?"

"I figure a box will last him if you have them to spare." Face knew that Paul sold the cigars to him at cost, and he didn't want to put the older man out.

"For you young'en, I can spare them." Paul moved to the back of the shop and went into the humidor he came back a few minutes later with a cigar box wrapped in brown paper.

"Thanks, Paul." Face pulled the cash out of his front pocket and paid the older man for the cigars. Looking at the ample amount of money he had left, Face considered what he had to do for the day and smiled. "Hey, Paul, how about a burger and a fudge Sundae, my treat?"

Paul thought about telling the boy he had work to do but then decided to hell with it. He didn't know how many more years the good Lord would grant him on this earth, and he might as well enjoy them with people he loved.

"Your treat?"

"Anything you want." Face laughed as he followed the older man to the front door of the cigar shop.

It was almost 7:00 pm when Face left Paul at his cigar shop and started toward home, he watched as the sky began to darken as it threatened to rain on him, but he didn't care, he was feeling on top of the world at this moment in time.

A few blocks from home, the heavens opened up, and the rain poured down on him. Face tucked the cigars in close to his body and began to jog toward home. However, by the time Face reached the apartment, he was soaked to the bone and was feeling a slight chill. After putting the cigars in the small humidor, he had bought Hannibal in Vietnam he stripped out of his wet clothes and ran a hot bath. Closing his eyes, he dozed as the heat warmed him. As the water cooled Face climbed out and let the water out, he went to the dresser and started to pull out some clean clothes when a thought struck him. He changed direction and headed over to the closet, rooting through the clothes until he found what he was looking for.

Face smiled as he wrapped Hannibal's slightly worn blue bathrobe around him, then headed for the living room lying down on the couch in a matter of minutes he dozed off watching a black and white movie.

***

Hannibal sighed as he climbed out of the rubber suit; he was happy that he was going home early. However, part of him was disappointed that he would have to go in early and stay late tomorrow to try and make up the scenes that were missed today.

Hannibal had just managed to make it across the parking lot and into his car when the storm hit. On his drive home, he had to battle the winds and the rain; he prayed that Face was home inside their apartment where he was safe. He worried about Face; the boy had been through so much already in his life, and Hannibal knew there were people who would hurt the blonde if they got a chance. It wasn't that he didn't trust Face to take care of himself; it was just that the world seemed bent on destroying him.

Hannibal sighed in relief when he opened the front door and was greeted by the light of the flickering television. After closing and locking the door, he made his way into the living room. Walking around the sofa, he smiled when he noticed Face was asleep on the couch, wrapped in his bathrobe. Hannibal fought down the urge to run his fingers through the silky blonde hair. However, he was covered in sweat, muck, and smelled like stale pond water, and it was not a smell he wanted his lover to associate with him.

Stepping back from the couch, Hannibal went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. He shook his head when he noticed the soaking wet jeans and shirt lying on the tile floor. Sometime Templeton Peck was such a neat freak it drove him insane, and other times Hannibal smiled, as he picked the sodden clothing of the floor; sometimes, the young man was just a typical teenager.

Hannibal reached into each of the pockets and took out their contents, in the back right, he found Face's wallet; the back left was empty. The front left he found Face's keys, a slip of paper with two phone numbers and a receipt from a burger shack on the boardwalk, in the front right he found a wad of money. Hannibal sighed as he set his contents of the jeans on the dresser in their bedroom before going back to the bathroom and dumping them into the hamper.

When he was finished with his shower, Hannibal dressed in a pair of dark blue pajama bottoms. Making his way over to the couch, he knelt in front of Face; carefully, he took the younger man's wrists into his hand before reaching out to brush the hair back out of his lover's eyes. When he felt Face tighten his arms and pull back against his grip, he called out softly.

"Relax, kid; it's just me."

"Hannibal, what time is it?"

"About 10:30 or so." Hannibal helped Face sit up, but as soon as he sat down, he pulled the young man to him, cuddling Face into his side. "How was your day?" Hannibal asked as he leaned down to kiss the top of the blonde's head.

"Not bad, I went down to the boardwalk, stopped by Paul's shop, and got you a box of cigars. I hope you don't mind that I took him out for lunch." Face asked as he looked up at Hannibal.

Hannibal smiled down at the younger man, "I don't mind if you see your friends." Moving forward, he kissed Face on the lips. "But I would prefer it if you stayed out of the pool halls."

"How did you know?" Face started to sit up, but Hannibal pulled him back down into his arms.

"It's not too hard to figure out kid," Hannibal chuckled as he ruffled the thick blonde hair. "You left the evidence on the bathroom floor."

"My wet cloths," Face twisted in his lover's arms so he could see his lover's face better. "I'm sorry..."

"Hush, I picked them up." Hannibal kissed Face again. "Your stuff is on the dresser."

"But how do you know I went to a pool hall?" Face asked again as he shifted, moving to lie down on the couch, using his lover's thigh as a pillow.

Hannibal's hand moved to the blonde hair, his fingers carding through the silky strands. 

"It's pretty easy kid; I left you a hundred dollars on the dresser this morning, there has to be at least a thousand there now." When Face started to open his mouth, Hannibal put his fingers over the perfectly shaped lips. "Now I know you're a great conman, and I know you can scam the last dollar out of a miser's wallet, but you always tell me when you're working on something big. Right?"

Face could only nod since Hannibal hadn't removed his fingers from his lips.

"Now you aren't working on any big cons, are you?"

Face shook his head no.

"And you didn't rob a bank, did you?"

Another shake of the blonde head as a smile formed under the Colonel's fingertips.

"So that leaves two things, you're either lying to me about having a con, or since you were on the boardwalk, you went to a pool hall and scored some quick cash off a couple of suckers." Hannibal raised his eyebrows as he lifted his fingers off of Face's lips.

"I would never lie to you; you know that."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow, he knew the younger man was lying about his age, and he was pretty sure there was a lot about his past he wasn't telling. In fact, it had gotten to the point that he didn't ask about anymore when Face was ready he would tell him.

"Not about anything important." Face corrected quickly.

"I know you wouldn't, kid." Hannibal leaned over to kiss Face again. "So, that means you..."

"I conned a couple of pool sharks at a pool hall down on the boardwalk." Face sighed.

"Stay away from the pool halls."

"John, I'm not a little kid." Face tried to sit up, but Hannibal having the better leverage easily pushed him flat.

"I never said you were." 

"I know how to take care of myself; it's not like I didn't grow up on the…" Face stopped as Hannibal smiled down at him.

"Please go on." Hannibal's smile widened as the blush crept up his lover's face.

"Never mind." Face turned onto his side so he could look at the TV, even though he couldn't see his lover he knew Hannibal was laughing by the vibrations going through the older man's leg.

"Almost had you, didn't I?" Hannibal chuckled as he moved his fingers through the blonde hair.

"Hmm." Was the only reply he received from his comment. 

Deciding that he had aggravated the younger man enough, Hannibal changed the subject.

"So, what's on?"

"Some Joan Crawford movie was on earlier," Face answered as he fought back a yawn. "I don't know what it is now?"

"Hmm." Hannibal shifted to make himself more comfortable. Reaching over to the end table, Hannibal lifted the humidor and smiled as he pulled out a fresh cigar. He bit the end off and placed it in the crystal ashtray before lighting it. Once the cigar was lit, Hannibal returned his hand to the blonde’s hair.

"I'm going to have to go in early tomorrow." Hannibal paused for a moment regretting his next words. "And probably have to stay late."

Face turned so he could look up at his lover, his blue-green eyes sad."I thought you guys were going to get a break from filming until next week. We were going to go and try to see Murdock tomorrow, remember."

Hannibal could hear the whine in the Face's voice, and he sighed as he felt his guilt rising.

"I know Tem, but it started to rain this evening, and it ruined the lighting, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Sure, Hannibal, it's alright, I understand." Face shrugged as he turned to look at the TV.

'Well, now don't you feel about two inches tall.' Hannibal thought as he looked down at Face. He knew that Face missed Murdock, they all did, but the two young men seemed to share a special bond. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Face only shrugged again, not even bothering to look at him.

"Tem,"

"I don't understand why I can't just go by myself." Face sat up so fast he almost lost some of his hair to Hannibal's closed fingers.

"We've been through this kid, it's…"

"You don't trust me!"

Hannibal sighed as he rubbed his eyes; he didn't know how many times he was going to have to have this conversation with his lover. "Tem, it's not that I don't trust…"

"I keep telling you, Murdock and I are just friends," Face was becoming agitated as he glared at his lover. "That's all Hannibal; he's just my friend we never..."

"Templeton, that's enough," Hannibal grabbed the young man and pulled him into his arms, hugging Face to him. "This has nothing to do with trust; you know that."

Hannibal hugged Face tighter as he remembered how bad the younger man had been affected after he had seen Murdock for the first time since their escape from prison. Days later, he had gone back to check on his Captain. There had been a nasty altercation between him and Murdock, and it was then that Hannibal knew that he couldn't allow Face to go by himself. The Colonel knew it would kill Face to see how bad his best friend had become since the first time he had seen him at the VA. No, if Face was going to see Murdock, then he was going to be there to help pick up the pieces.

Hannibal pushed his lover back so he could see his eyes, and he smiled when he had to brush the blonde hair back so he could see the blue-green orbs. 'God, he's so young.'

"You know he's still in bad shape," Hannibal spoke softly.

"I know, I know, it's just..."

"You miss him; I know that kid, but I don't want you going there by yourself."

"I could get BA to go with…"

"Tem." The warning in the older man's voice made him stop.

"Alright." Face sighed, knowing he had lost. "How about we go to bed?" Face asked as a sly smile spread across his lips.

"Gladly."

As soon as the two of them were on their feet, Hannibal grabbed Face around the waist.

"Don't you do it?" Face warned as he tried to pull out of the older man's grip.

"Do what?" Hannibal asked innocently as a sly grin pulled at the corner of his lips.  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"You mean this?" Hannibal asked as he bent at the knees, moved forward, and swung Face over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Put me down." Face protested as he squirmed to get free from his lover's shoulder.

"Be still," Hannibal warned as he smacked Face on the ass.

"Oww, stop it." Face tried to twist, but Hannibal was ready for him.

The Colonel quickened his pace; he managed to get into the bedroom just as Face got loose. Before Face could get completely free, Hannibal dumped him on the bed and moved in for the kill. He started to tickle the younger man without mercy, going for all the spots he knew were Face's vulnerable points, the ribs just above the stomach, the stomach its self and, of course, the younger man's inner thighs, and behind his knees.

When Face was finally gasping for air and begging for mercy, Hannibal moved up the younger man's body, using his weight to keep the smaller man pinned beneath him.

"You know I've meant to ask you something?"

"Hmm?" Face smiled as he rose so he could meet his lover's lips.

After the kiss, Hannibal continued with his question. "What are you doing in my robe?"

"You mind?"

"No," Hannibal leaned down to kiss Face again. "But that's not what I asked."

"I got caught out in the rain when I was coming home, so I took a bath."

"And?" Hannibal raised an eyebrow.

"I needed something to wear when I got out."

"And?"

"I missed you." Face whispered, the blush once again returning to his cheeks.

"I missed you too." Hannibal smiled as the pink rose up the tan cheeks to the tips of his lover's ears.

"Really?" Face looked up into his lover's bright blue eyes.

“Really." Leaning down, he captured Face’s lips again, Hannibal deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring every inch, as his fingers sunk into the soft blonde hair.

***

Face paced around the apartment, he was bored out of his skull, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't feel like going to the boardwalk after yesterday, and Hannibal had told him to stay away for the VA and Murdock.

Face walked over to the TV, turned it on before he flopped down on the couch, his fingers immediately began to drum on the armrest. Face managed to watch about two minutes of a soap opera before it was too much for him. Jumping back up to his feet, he began to pace again, after another few minutes, he grabbed his jacket. If nothing else, he could at least take a walk. It wasn't long, however, before he found himself standing outside of the VA where Murdock was housed.

'Turn around and go back home.' A little voice in the back of his mind warned. 'There is a reason the Colonel doesn't want you here.'

"What could it hurt?" Face muttered to himself.

'You could end up back in prison if you get caught.' The voice replied.

"I'll be careful."

This time the voice was quiet, Face didn't know if that was a good sign or not. With a couple of quick smiles, some flirting, and a lot of begging, Face was allowed to see his "brother."

"Just a few minutes," The nurse smiled at him "He's not doing well today."

"Thanks." Face smiled at the nurse who let him into the room. "I just wanted to see him so I could tell everyone at home he was doing alright."

"That's so sweet." The nurse patted his cheek before turning to leave.

Once she left the room, Face turned to look over at the bed where his best friend was sitting. When the door shut, the pilot's head popped up his unfocused eyes, searching the room.

"Hey pal, how are you doing?" Face began to talk to the other man as he slowly approached the bed.

Murdock tilted his head to the side and studied Face, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry, it's been so long since I've come to visit, but you know how the Colonel can be."

Again all Face got for a response was a pair of staring brown eyes.

"So have you been doing anything fun? I heard the nurse say something about you were going to be able to go outside soon. Won't that be great you can get some fresh air and see the sky?"

Anything else Face was going to say was cut off when Murdock started yelling in Vietnamese, launching himself at the blonde. The two men crashed into the wall; Face gave a strangled scream as his right shoulder popped out of its socket when he hit the large shelf behind him. Before Face could react to defend himself, the pilot grabbed him around the throat and shoved him hard, the two of them fell to the floor; Face's head bounced as it impacted the hard surface and stars flashed behind his eyes. As Murdock applied more pressure to his throat, Face brought his own hands up, he tried to peel the pilot's fingers off his neck, but this only cause Murdock to squeeze harder. Face knew other ways to make the pilot let go, but he didn't want to hurt his best friend.

"Murdock please, it's me, Face" he tried to choke out, but the other man's fingers tightened so he couldn't breathe at all. Face was becoming desperate to draw in a breath, he could see black spots floating across his vision, and the edges were starting to turn gray.

Just as he was sure, he was going to lose consciousness; he could suddenly breathe again. He could hear people around him yelling and the sounds of a struggle.

"You're going to be alright." He felt someone touch his forehead, and he instantly jerked back away from the hands as he fought to refocuses his eyes on the nurse kneeling beside him on the floor.

"It's alright, everything is going to be alright, your brother just had a bad episode, and we're going to have to sedate him. We're going to help you out of here and have a doctor check you out. Alright?"

Face nodded as two orderlies helped him to his feet; both men quickly grabbed him as he began to sway.

"Please help him to exam room number two; I'll go get one of the doctors."

As the two orderlies helped him out of the room, Face glanced back at his best friend. Murdock was now in a straight jacket, restrained to his bed, his eyes darting around the room as he continued to mumble in Vietnamese.

"I’m sorry," he croaked out through his bruised throat.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything," One of the orderlies explained as he helped Face out of the room. "This is just a bad day; he gets like this sometimes, hell he almost killed a white-haired guy a month ago."

'Not white, silver.' Face thought as he felt numbness settle into his brain

The orderlies helped Face to an exam room and sat him down in a chair.

"You want one of us to stay with you till a doc can get in here?" one of them asked.

"Nah, I'll be alright." Face flashed a quick smile before leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes.

'Why the hell didn't I just listen to Hannibal?' Face thought.

Feeling something tickling the back of his neck, Face reached around and swiped at it, when he felt something wet against his fingers, he brought his hand back and saw it was blood.

'Why didn't I just stay away? Why didn't I just listen to Hannibal?' he repeated.

Knowing that he had to get out of the VA before the authorities were called, Face staggered to his feet. Moving over to a large supply locker, he placed his shoulder against the side, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

Every since the POW camp, his shoulder seemed to dislocate easier than it should, though now he seemed to be able to get it back in place without help if that was a good or bad thing he still wasn't sure. Face released the breath he was holding, inhaled again before he slammed his shoulder against the side locker. Face heard the load pop just before the white-hot pain flared through the joint. He fought against the pain until it subsided into a dull ache when he could move again; he began to search the room for something to stop the bleeding from his head wound.

A quick search in a supply cabinet turned up several packs of gauze. Grabbing a couple of pieces, Face pressed them to the back of his tender skull, winching at the pressure he had to use to stop the bleeding. Moving to the door Face opened it a crack, seeing no one in the hallway he slipped out, a few minutes later he was out of the building.

Face walked around the streets for a few hours, not knowing what to do; he didn't want to go back home, he couldn't take being in the apartment by himself right now. Part of him wanted to go to the studio and demand Hannibal to tell him why he hadn't told him Murdock had gotten this bad since they had last seen him. The small spark of anger began to build in Face, why had his lover kept this from him. Hannibal knew how much Murdock's friendship meant to him, how could he keep this from him. As the anger built, Face's rational thought went with it, with a new determination Face headed toward the studio where Hannibal was working.

He arrived several hours later, angry beyond words, hot from walking, and in excruciating pain from his injuries. Getting onto the studio property was no problem for him, even in his current condition. It took him an hour to get where Hannibal was shooting, though, by the time he had arrived, the crew was breaking down their equipment for the day. As he came around a cast trailer, he saw Hannibal leaning against it, his arms folded over his chest while another man leaned into him; their face's only inches apart.

"Come on, John, just one drink."

"Sorry, Bobby, I need to get going," Hannibal said for the tenth time that day. The other man had been trying to catch his eye since he had started on this picture, and every time Hannibal had shot him down. Oh, Bobby was a good looking man, with his dark black hair and his bright green eyes. No doubt about it, he was very good looking, but Hannibal was in love with Face, and no one was going to come between them.

"What do you have a hot date tonight?"

Hannibal smiled as he thought about how Face had looked last night asleep in his robe lying on the couch. Then his smile widened when he thought about what he and Face had done once they got into their bed.

"You might say that."

"Yeah?" Bobby raised his eyebrow. "Can she do this?" Closing the distance between them, Bobby kissed Hannibal for all he was worth, his mouth trying to devour the older man's. Hannibal put his hands on Bobby's shoulders as he pushed the other man off of him just as an angry voice hissed in his ear.

"Is this why you have to work late?" Face snarled, his anger rising to the point he could barely contain it.

Hannibal turned to find Face standing beside him seething with rage, the younger man's body shaking with anger.

"Face, it's not what it looks like."

Bobby turned to look at the young blonde-haired man standing beside John. He was quite a good looking guy Bobby had to admit, with his blonde hair, tan skin, and his bright blue-green eyes, but he seemed awfully young to be with John, he couldn't have been more than a teenager.

"Well, aren't you cute." Bobby smiled at Face. "Does your mommy know you're out this late?"

"Fuck you." Face growled as he turned to look at Hannibal. "I trusted you," his voice dropping to little more than a whisper, tears pooling in the blue-green eyes. "You said you would never lie to me and I trusted you, what a damn fool I've been all this time."

"Tem," Hannibal called out softly as he reached out for Face.

"No." Face shook his head as he began to back away. "No," he repeated as he turned on his heels and ran.  
"Tem." Hannibal started to step forward, but Bobby blocked his way by putting his hand on the Colonel's chest. "Let him go home; he's too young to play in a man's world."

"He's my partner." Hannibal glared at the other man.

"He's a boy." Bobby laughed as he slid a piece of paper in Hannibal's shirt pocket. "Here's my address when you decided to stop playing with children."

Hannibal shoved Bobby off of him "That boy is more of a man than you will ever be." He stated as he started after Face.

"I'm such a fool." Face thought as he ran out of the studio and across the executive parking lot. "Why did I let him in? Why did I trust him? Why did I believe him all these years?"

"Face!" Hannibal yelled as he ran up behind the younger man. "Face stop!"

When Face kept walking, Hannibal reached out and grabbed his left arm, causing Face to spin around and glare at him. 

"Don't touch me!" Face snarled at him as he tried to jerk out of the Colonel's grip.

"Damn it, kid; you're going to stop and listen to me!" Hannibal grabbed Face tightly by the shoulders to stop him from turning back around. The second he latched onto the younger man's right shoulder, Face went pale and whimpered as he bit his lip to stop from screaming.

"What happened to you, baby?" Hannibal asked as looked Face over for the first time, noting the bruised neck.

"Leave me alone." Face growled though his voice hardly a whisper as he tried to get away from Hannibal.

Hannibal ignored him as he slid his arm around the slim waist before steering Face toward his car."What happened?"

"Leave me alone." Face repeated as he struggled to get out of Hannibal's grip as the older man opened the car door and forced him to sit down in the passenger's seat.

"Look, kid… "

"I trusted you." Face continued to struggle and nearly passed out when his right shoulder hit the back of the seat.

Hannibal shook his head as he reached down and took hold of his lover's jaw in a firm yet gentle grip.

"Now, you listen to me right now, Lieutenant…"

"No, you listen to me!" Face snapped as he pushed Hannibal away. "I'm not some child; I'm almost nine…" Face stopped when he realized what he was about to say. "You lied to me when I trusted you!"

"Alright I heard you, you think that I was cheating on you, you've made that loud and clear." Hannibal took his angry lover's face into his hands. "But there is something that you need to understand, Templeton Peck, I know you think you saw Bobby and me going at it behind your back, but I have news for you, you are the only person that I love. I do not want anyone else; I don't love anyone else. I love you, and I would not lie to you."

"Then why didn't you tell me about Murdock?"  
Hannibal looked at Face in complete confusion, "Murdock, what does he have to do with this?”

"You lied to me John," Face glared at Hannibal, "you said he was doing better, but he's not, I went to see him today and…"

"I told you not to go to the VA without me." Hannibal cut Face off as he let go of his lover. "Damn it, Templeton, I told you not to go there for a reason!"

"Because you lied to me about his condition!"

Hannibal closed his eyes and took a deep breath, arguing with Face here and now would not help anything. When he opened his eyes, Hannibal looked deep into the angry blue-green eyes.

"Face, can we please go home and discuss this?"

"No!" Face snapped as he tried to get out of the car.

"Look, kid, I don't want to have it out with you in the parking lot, I'll be more than happy…"

"That works out just fine because I don't want to talk to you at all, now let me out of this car!" Face yelled as he shoved against Hannibal.

"No, you're not going anywhere." Hannibal grabbed Face by his hands and forced him to move over in the seat so that he could sit down beside him. He quickly latched onto Face's waist and pulled him back to his body as the younger man tried to slide across the seat and get out the driver's side door.

"Let go of me!" Face protested as he pushed against Hannibal's chest.

"No," Hannibal grabbed his wrists in one hand while putting one of his legs over Face's thigh, pinning the smaller man in place. "Now damn it listen to me for a minute, I have never lied to you, I just didn't tell you how bad he has become in the last few weeks."  
"It's the same damn thing!" Face protested as he tried to get free.

"No, it's not." When Face shot him a dirty look, he amended his statement. "Alright, I should have told you that he wasn't doing very well, but what good would it have done?" When Face turned to look away, Hannibal turned his head back around to look at him. "Nothing, kid, you can't do anything to help him right now. He's lost and has to find his own way back before we'll be able to help him."

Face closed his eyes as a sob escaped. "He thought I was one of them. Oh God John, how could he think I was one of them?"

"I know it hurts, baby." Hannibal moved so that he could hug Face to him instead of keeping him pinned to the seat. "I know." 

He soothed the sobbing man, rocking him in his arms. Reaching up, he stroked the soft blonde hair; however, the second his fingers came into contact with the back of Face's scalp the younger man gasped, pulling his fingers back he noticed the blood. 

"How bad are you injured?" he asked, making sure that he didn't accuse Murdock of hurting Face.

"Just a bump on the head."Face sighed as he sunk deeper into the older man's arms.

'Little bumps don't bleed like this.' Hannibal thought, but he only nodded as he continued to hold the younger man for a few more minutes, allowing Face to pull himself together.

"How about we go home?" he whispered into Face's ear.

"Kay." Face whispered though he made no effort to move out of Hannibal's arms. He was emotionally and physically spent, and right now, the only thing that was keeping him from breaking down was his lover's strong embrace.

Hannibal shifted on the seat so that he could move over to the driver's side of the car, as he moved he pulled Face along with him, making sure that Face was tucked into his side, the younger man's head resting on his chest.

"Face, we're home," Hannibal whispered as he stroked the sleeping man's face. 

Face opened his eyes and looked up at his lover. "Home?"

"Come on, kid." Hannibal got out of the car before pulling Face out with him. "Let's get you cleaned up.”

An hour later, Face was stretched out on the couch, his head resting on a pillow in the Colonel's lap as Hannibal stroked his hair, the TV was on, but neither man was watching it.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…"

"Do I think what?" Hannibal asked when Face abruptly stopped talking.

Face took a deep breath. "Do you think he'll ever…" Again Face stopped talking as a shudder ran through his body.

"I don't know Tem, I hope they can help him, but at this point, I don't know." The two were silent for a few more minutes before Hannibal spoke again. "Face what you saw at the studio, it wasn't what you thought I would never cheat on you."

"Hell, I know that." Face snorted as he turned to look up at Hannibal.

"You're sure; I don't want you to have any doubts about us."

"No doubts, Hannibal," Face smiled up at his lover. "I' know I've got you wrapped." Face laughed as he held up his little finger.

Hannibal opened his mouth to protest then chuckled. "That you do, kid, that you do."  
****6:00am the next day****

"Face?" Hannibal called out softly as he stroked the hair out of Face's eyes.

"Hmm?" Face opened a pair of sleepy eyes.

"I have to go out to the studio for a while; I'll be back around 4:00 or so."

"Thought you were finished filming." Face sat up so he could look at him.

"We are, but I need to get some of my stuff out of my trailer and turn in some studio property." Leaning forward, he kissed Face. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Why don't you get some more rest" Hannibal touched the bruises on Face's throat. Remembering that Face had gotten injured because he had been left alone too much lately, he quickly added. 

"We'll do something when I get home, dinner and a movie sound nice?"

Face nodded as he lay back down and closed his eyes. "Sounds great."

Getting up a few hours later, Face got up dressed and began to clean up the apartment. He was getting ready to take out the trash when he noticed a balled-up piece of paper lying on top, not recognizing the handwriting he picked it up. Face uncurled the paper, his eyes scanning the name and address; a smile formed on his perfect lips as he went to the closet and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm coming; I'm coming, "Bobby yelled as he hurried to the door; opening the door, he found John's blonde boy toy. "Oh, it's you, what can I do for you, junior?"

"Stay away from John." Face smiled.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest thing." Bobby started to reach up and pat Face's cheek, but stopped when Face grabbed him by the arm and slammed him against the wall.

"I'm not playing with you." Face warned as his eyes narrowed. "Keep your hands off him, or I'll hurt you."

"Look, I don't know who you think you are…"

"I'm the man who's going to fuck you up if you don't keep your hands off of my lover." Face pulled Bobby's arm up higher behind the other man's back. "Let me tell something Bobby, I've hurt people, I'm not proud of what I've done, but I also don't have a problem with doing it again." Face applied more pressure on the wrist, causing Bobby to grunt in pain. "Do I make myself clear, Bobby, boy?"

"Yeah." The other man grunted in pain.

"Good," Face patted the other man's cheek as he backed up. "Just remember you never know when I'll stop by to see him at the studio."

***

"Face?" Hannibal called out as he entered the apartment; he stopped when he noticed the shades had been pulled, making the living room dark, except for the soft glow of a few candles that were scattered around the room. "Face?"

"In the bedroom." A soft voice called out.

Going into the bedroom, he found the younger man stretched out on the bed naked.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Hannibal asked as he moved into the candlelit room, his eyes taking in his lover's beautiful body. "Not that I'm complaining mind you."

"I thought that we could use some time alone together." Face motioned for Hannibal to sit down on the bed beside him.

Hannibal sat down his hands instantly, going to Face's hair, running the golden strands through his fingers."Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Face rose so he could put his hands around Hannibal's neck, pulling the older man down to meet his lips. 

"Not half as much as I love you." Face kissed him softly before reaching up to unbutton his lover's shirt. "Now, what do you say we spend some quality time together before you take me to dinner?"

End


End file.
